Peter of Ailly and the Harvest of Fourteenth Century Philosophy

Author:

Kennedy, Leonard

Year:

1989

Pages:

229

ISBN:

0-88946-307-7978-0-88946-307-3

Price:

$179.95

Describes the state of philosophy at the end of the fourteenth century by examining the teaching of Peter of Ailly (1370-1420), who used the theological teaching of God's omnipotence to remove certainty concerning the physical order, the moral order, and the supernatural order.

Reviews

"Father Kennedy is well-known for his studies on the thought of the late middle ages. In this enquiry he considers the implications of Peter of Ailly's theory of God's absolute power and argues (against a prevalent opinion) that this theory leads to total scepticism. . . . Kennedy's excellent book clarifies in a decisive way that once the "idea of God's absolute power is unleashed", there is no longer any solid ground to set one's foot on. God can even act against his mercy and annihilate the blessed. Peter is no longer sure of anything except of the principle of contradiction and his own existence." - Divus Thomas (Piacenza)